Welcome to Dragonfly Class which is made up of our Year 4, Year 5 & Year 6 children
Our Class Teachers are Mrs Parkin and our Learning Support Assistant is Miss French.
Welcome to Dragonfly’s class page. Here you will find out what we are learning about this year. You will see pictures of the fun challenges we face and all of the fantastic things we will see and do this year.
Look out for the impressive work we carry out across the curriculum.
You can look at this page to find out information regarding homework, spellings and PE. You can also download copies of our newsletters.
We hope you enjoy looking at our class page.
Homework and Spellings
Year 4, 5 and 6 children are given homework every Friday for Maths and English, which is to be handed in the following Wednesday. All children are invited to homework club after school every Tuesday.
Year 6 children attend SATs booster sessions after school every Wednesday in preparation for the end of KS2 tests later in the year.
Spelling tests take place every Monday.
PE
Children have their PE lessons every Thursday and Friday. The school PE uniform comprises of a plain red T shirt, plain black shorts and a pair of plimsolls or trainers. These should be kept in school throughout the week.
ACTVITIES FOR CHILDREN DURING SCHOOL CLOSURE DUE TO COVID 19
S00.ummer Term 2018
Dragonfly Class had fun attending the Tennis Festival at Durham Johnston School this week.
Relax Kids
In preparation for their upcoming SAT’s, our year 6 children have been participating in the Relax Kids programme to learn strategies to de-stress, gain self-belief and to think more positively.
Spring Term 2018
Mothers Day March 2018 – Super Mams
Dragonfly class thanked their Mams for all the amazing things they do for them by reciting a poem and singing the song ‘Super Mam’ in assembly!
Dance
Last term our topic in P.E. was dance so children had chosen to work together in groups and devised their own routine. They also voted for the song they wanted to dance to. One group had collaborated together wonderfully and created a dance to perform to parents in assembly!
World Book Day 7th March
Dragonfly Class enjoyed lots of different activities on World Book Day, especially the game of ‘Guess which character I am?’ Each child was given a character from a story, which was taped to their foreheads. They had to ask each other questions about themselves to work out who they were. The only answers they could be given were yes or no. The child who asked the fewest questions before guessing their character was the winner!
The pupils in Dragonfly Class have recently started using a new computer programme which helps them to learn their multiplication tables and division facts. Each week they are allocated a specific table to practise and increase their knowledge and speed of. They log onto the computer programme for 5 minutes every day to practise their recall of the tables and division facts. The children have all created their own Rock Star Avatar and given themselves a rock star name, the faster their speed at answering the questions becomes, the higher their rock status becomes!
≤ 1 sec/qu = Rock Hero
≤ 2 secs/qu = Rock Legend ≤ 3 secs/qu = Rock Star ≤ 4 secs = Headliner ≤ 5 secs/qu = Support Act ≤ 6 secs/qu = Breakthrough Artist
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≤ 7 secs/qu = Unsigned Act
≤ 8 secs/qu = Gigger ≤ 9 secs/qu = Busker ≤ 10 secs/qu = Garage Rocker > 10 secs/qu = Wannabe
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The children are all enjoying the programme and are becoming highly motivated to learn all their multiplication facts and become Rock Heroes. The children all have an individual log in which enables them to access the Times Tables Rock Stars programme at home. If your child has access to a computer or iPad at home, please encourage him/her to do some daily practise at home – just 5 minutes a day will make a big impact. Please help your child to log on to the website ttrockstars.com
The goal is for all participating rockers to be Times Table Rock Stars after 20 weeks!
Lego Therapy
LEGO®-based therapy aims to develop social competence through the development of social skills. Collaborative play provides opportunities for children to practise skills such as turn-taking, listening, sharing ideas, communication, compromise, problem solving and shared attention. Groups are run by a trained facilitator and children are encouraged to build together within set roles. Each child plays the role of an ‘engineer’, a ‘supplier’ or a ‘builder’ and together they follow pictorial instructions to build a model.
Autumn Second Half Term 2017
Our trip to Durham Oriental Museum
Ladybird Class recently visited Durham Oriental Museum to find out more about life in Ancient Egypt. We had an amazing time and found out lots of interesting facts from our guide Jo, who shared her wealth of knowledge with us. During the morning we went to one of the Ancient Egypt exhibit areas where the children had to fill a quiz sheet in by finding the relevant information and artefacts on the displays. The children also had great fun dressing up in Egyptian clothes and writing secret messages in hieroglyphs.
Next, we went to the classroom where the children had the opportunity to look and handle some artefacts. They drew and measured them and tried to work out what they were used for.
Later, in the afternoon we went to see a mummy of a young female priest. Jo told us all about her and explained that they had been able to find out what she did by looking at the hieroglyphs on her sarcophagus. The mummy had been opened at some point and they had discovered that she had a false hand. Egyptians believed that people who had disabilities were thought to be special and were treated with high regard.
Finally, we mummified one of the children (a volunteer!). Other members of the group volunteered to become the embalmers. Her organs were removed and placed in canopic jars and then the class decided her fate during the ‘weighing of the heart ceremony’. Unfortunately, the class decided to send her to Ammit (“the gobbler”, a composite animal with the head of a crocodile, the front legs and body of lion or leopard, and the back legs of a hippopotamus.) to be devoured!
Everyone had a fabulous day and left the museum with happy memories and a wealth of information.
Anti-Bullying Week November 13th-17th 2017
To help raise awareness for Anti-Bullying Week the Staff and pupils came to school wearing odd socks. It was an opportunity for everyone to express themselves and appreciate individuality and uniqueness. Have you ever tried to wear odd socks? It is more difficult than you think!
Children in Need 2017
The children had great fun helping to raise money for the Children in Need Charity by coming in their own clothes for a donation, selling cakes and raffle tickets and by having a colouring competition.
Each child also had the opportunity to decorate a Pudsey Bear biscuit to take home.
Ancient Greek Art Work
Dragonfly Class have been learning about the Ancient Greeks. They have read lots of Greek Myths including Perseus and Medusa. These pictures show the children’s artistic interpretation of what they thought Medusa looked like.
We have also done research about the past by looking at artefacts to do some observational designs for some Greek Pottery.
Lego Therapy
LEGO®-based therapy aims to develop social competence through the development of social skills. Collaborative play provides opportunities for children to practise skills such as turn-taking, listening, sharing ideas, communication, compromise, problem solving and shared attention. Groups are run by a trained facilitator and children are encouraged to build together within set roles. Each child plays the role of an ‘engineer’, a ‘supplier’ or a ‘builder’ and together they follow pictorial instructions to build a model.